Samoa Skipping Dec. 30

If you've got an appointment this Friday in Samoa, better reschedule. The Pacific island nation has decided it wants to be on the other side of the international date line and is canceling this year's Dec. 30 to get there, AP reports. For the country's 186,000 citizens, 11:59pm on Dec. 29 will be followed by Dec. 31.

Some 119 years ago, Samoa had two July 4s after American traders persuaded authorities to align their time with that of American Samoa. But in recent years, Samoa has been doing a lot more business with Australia, New Zealand, and China, and being on the other side of the date line has caused businesses to lose out on two working days a week with those nations. Some churches aren't happy with the change, but it's a bonus for most workers. The government has decided that people scheduled to work on the nonexistent Friday should be given a full day's pay. (More Samoa stories.)